If your hospital is lucky enough to be within the borders of the state of Maryland, you can participate in the Maryland Patient Safety Center’s (MPSC) SAFE from FALLS initiative. The project, based on a program by the same name being run through the Minnesota Hospital Association, has been...
Although the 2010 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG) are a much smaller set than last year’s version, keeping up with those goals that moved to the general standards is important for maintaining best practices as well as receiving fewer requirements for improvement on your next Joint...
Collecting core measures data is a part of everyday life at most healthcare facilities, affecting various types of staff members and CMS reimbursement. Assessing whether your facility is managing those data well and using the information contained in your core measures data is vital to...
In April 2008, Baystate Medical Center (BMC), a 653-bed teaching hospital in Springfield, MA, began implementation of its Bar Code Point of Care (BCPOC) technology to positively impact medication administration in reducing errors.
Editor’s note: The following column explores patient safety from the perspective of a newcomer to the field. Columnist Catherine Hinz, MHA, is the patient safety lead at HealthEast Care System in St. Paul, MN. Previously, Hinz worked for seven years as...
Engaged nurses who feel like they work in an organization that values their efforts and opinions have an incredibly positive effect on the quality of care patients receive. Studies have shown that organizational support for nursing leads to better quality of care, which can reduce mortality...
The Joint Commission will be releasing new standards for hospitals surrounding language, culture, and communication in the January 2011 hospital manual.
The Cancer Treatment Centers (CTC) of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center in Zion, IL, believes in the “mother standard of care,” or treating patients as if they are family members or “your own mother,” says Kimberly Bertini, RN, Coordinator for the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program® at...
By nature, I am an outgoing person. In fact, I’ve maxed out the sociability and extrovert scale of any leadership proficiency or personality test I have ever taken. I love humor and fun, and I am an energetic individual. When I reflect on how I’ve ended up in the field of patient safety—a...
